What you are describing here, with the idea of equating schooling instruction with standardised test results, is an example of Goodhart's Law. This is a phenomenon I have been very interested in lately and I have touched on previously in: https://samuelkammin.substack.com/p/school-uniform-and-the-performance, although not as thoroughly as you have here. It also resonates nicely with your reference to Donald Campbell, someone I am less familiar with. Thank you for recommending this piece Chris, and I look forward to reading more from you
Thanks Sam, and a great point. It's Goodhart's Law in action. I really enjoyed your piece on school uniform as a symbol of the drive to uniformity in mainstream schooling. Your point that 'curiosity becomes inefficiency' really speaks to my research, and my concerns that a packed curriculum and narrow exam focus can undermine children's intrinsic drive to learn.
Thanks again for taking the time to read, Chris. This was absolutely my thinking when I came to write that article and I hope to continue learning about the topic moving forward. Look forward to hearing more about your research in the future
What you are describing here, with the idea of equating schooling instruction with standardised test results, is an example of Goodhart's Law. This is a phenomenon I have been very interested in lately and I have touched on previously in: https://samuelkammin.substack.com/p/school-uniform-and-the-performance, although not as thoroughly as you have here. It also resonates nicely with your reference to Donald Campbell, someone I am less familiar with. Thank you for recommending this piece Chris, and I look forward to reading more from you
Thanks Sam, and a great point. It's Goodhart's Law in action. I really enjoyed your piece on school uniform as a symbol of the drive to uniformity in mainstream schooling. Your point that 'curiosity becomes inefficiency' really speaks to my research, and my concerns that a packed curriculum and narrow exam focus can undermine children's intrinsic drive to learn.
Thanks again for taking the time to read, Chris. This was absolutely my thinking when I came to write that article and I hope to continue learning about the topic moving forward. Look forward to hearing more about your research in the future